Drones With Thermal Cameras Help Firefighters Find Trapped Florida Flood Victims

Palm Beach County, United States – Firefighters used drones with thermal imaging cameras to search for people trapped in stranded vehicles as fast-rising floodwater swamped parts of Palm Beach County, Florida.

Footage released by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue shows fire engines ploughing through flooded parking lots in the Century Village area on the night of Sunday, November 1, as cars sit partly submerged. A second video shows swiftwater teams ferrying residents by boat through flooded streets in Riviera Beach.

Firefighters answered more than 70 emergency calls from the Century Village area, where nearly 100 residents were trapped in vehicles and water was 3 to 4 feet deep in places, the department said. Everyone was brought to higher ground and no injuries were reported.

Over about 24 hours from Monday night, November 2, the department's swiftwater team evacuated 71 people and nine pets in Riviera Beach, it said.